How to Balance Blogging with a Full Time Job

How to Balance Blogging with a Full Time Job

K: We’ve been blogging since February and as we approach the one year mark, I thought we’d go ahead and address a topic that seems to affect many bloggers: how the heck do you balance running a blog and working a full time job? We’ve been asked this question multiple times and I thought long and hard about the answer. I hope that you find this helpful, whether you’re a new blogger, or just curious about the balance. All outfit details are at the bottom if you’re interested!

It’s All About Planning Ahead

About mid-month, we start planning the upcoming content for the next month. So that means in the middle of December, we are mapping out the month of January. Obviously, some things can change, but having a calendar has really helped us see the big picture and stay organized. Since Brandon and I only blog three days a week, it keeps the posting schedule manageable. We’re really trying to push out quality, versus quantity. If you feel overwhelmed with developing blog posts, we’d suggest lessening the number of times you post per week or per month.

In addition to planning a content calendar, we also plan ahead with social media posts too. I use Tailwind to schedule all of our pins (get one month for free right here), Planoly to map out our Instagram posts, and then with Twitter and Facebook, I manage those live. Since both Brandon and I work a very traditional job with set hours, we’ve got to have everything ready to go ahead of time. Weekends are our busiest with the blog and we try our best to have all posts scheduled for the week by Sunday, along with our weekly email.

We Utilize All Hours in a Day

Brandon and I really try to make the most of each day. On the days that we post, I wake up at 5:30 to “network” with other bloggers. I make sure that I’m liking their photos, commenting on posts, and reading their content. I feel like we’ve really established a little community within our blog, but part of that is because we’re showing support to other blogs, and they show support back to us. Early on, I realized that we couldn’t just expect to have fifty comments on a blog post without reaching out to others a little bit. I think the networking time has really helped us grow.

On top of that time in the morning (about a full hour), I’m also squeezing in time to work on the blog in my lunch break (if possible), and after my teaching day, before Brandon gets home. He’s got a longer day than I do, so I leave the day-to-day blog work to myself. He helps out at the end of the day with writing and brainstorming, if needed. Most of his work usually happens on the weekend though.

So many people say that it’s so difficult to blog when you’re working full time, but you have to maximize the hours in your day. Even just thirty minutes here and there can be useful time to get social media planned out, or start a draft of a post. It’s important to set a schedule and stick to it as much as possible.

You Have to Love It

If you can’t tell by now, we love this! The blog has been so much fun and such a creative outlet. The English teacher in me loves all of the writing that goes into the blog and Brandon’s photography eye is always learning and trying new things when we take pictures. If you’re blogging because you want to make money or become famous on Instagram, I don’t think that the blog will go far. I truly think that you need to love it. I find myself wanting to stay up late to work on the blog, and I’m fine waking up early for it. We both enjoy everything that goes into, and I know that makes it easy to spend hours working on it. If it feels like a chore to write a post, or you hate going out to take photos, you may need to reevaluate the topic of your blog. Find something that you love, and make that your focus.